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To 'help' or to' be a helper'? That is the question that researchers from University of California, University of Washington, and Stanford University studied in their efforts to understand if an adult's choice of words influence helping behaviour in preschoolers. Read full article

Joshua Littman, a 12-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome, interviews his mother, Sarah. Joshua’s candid questions and Sarah’s honest, unguarded answers reveal a loving relationship that reminds us of the core of what it means to be a parent.

From the Blog

Music surrounds us—in shops, at work, on television, and at the movies. We program our own personal soundtracks effortlessly via iPods and similar devices. With new technologies, listening to music has moved from being an active activity to a passive one in a generation. We all 'do music' — but to really reap the benefits we need to engage with music. Going through life with a passive backing track is not enough. Read full article

In school, emotions matter. Not only do children with anxiety and aggression have difficulty focussing and learning, they also tend to be victims or perpetrators of bullying. Whether it’s old-fashioned physical or verbal aggression, ostracism, or online abuse, bullying is deeply rooted in a lack of emotional intelligence skills. These skills can and should be taught, though they seldom are. Read full article

Shyness in kids is very common, and “everybody can feel shy in certain situations,” says Professor Jennifer Hudson, a clinical psychologist and research fellow from Macquarie University’s Centre for Emotional Health . While mild shyness is not defined as an anxiety condition, approximately one in five children will have a problem with exceptional shyness and anxiety, such that it significantly interferes with their daily life. Professor Hudson’s latest longitudinal research into the role of temperament and stressful life events in the development of childhood anxiety found that shy children experience fewer positive life experiences because of their inhibitions. Read full article

Children as young as four years of age can experience social exclusion as a result of their stuttering. These negative social experiences can intensify in the school years, with children who stutter reporting regular bullying and teasing. Children who stutter may also be rated as less popular than their non-stuttering class mates. Yet stuttering is not an insurmountable roadblock for children on their path to fulfilling lives. Read full article